GUNNISON, Colo.— The nation's 12^th-ranked Colorado Mesa University team remained unbeaten with a milestone-reaching 3-set sweep of host Western Colorado University on Friday evening in the Mountaineers' Paul Wright Gymnasium.
 
The 25-19, 25-11, 25-22 victory in both teams' Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener was keyed by a 36-assist, 11-dig double-double effort from setter Sabrina VanDeList, who became just the sixth Maverick to surpass the 3,000 career assist milestone.  All five of her hitters had six or more kills as the Mavericks moved to 9-0 overall for the first time in a fall season in at least their NCAA Division II era (1992-Present) history.  The Mavs did begin the 2021 spring season with a 15-0 mark.
 
The double-double was the fourth in the last five matches for VanDeList, who now has 3,012 career assists to her credit.
 
Maverick right side hitter Emma Shaddix led the hitters, putting down a match-high 13 kills while hitting. .476 on 21 total swings.  Outside hitter Sydney Leffler, the RMAC leader in total kills, was also in double-figures for the ninth consecutive match with ten kills.
 
Middle hitter Savannah Spitzer put down eight more without committing a single error, hitting at a .500 clip while outside hitter Riley Daugherty chipped in another eight kills and eight digs.  Aesha Alrashed also added six kills while hitting .385 in the middle.

Defensively, libero Allison Waller recorded a match and career-high 19 digs in what was the Mavs' third consecutive and sixth 3-set sweep of the winning streak, which has seen the Mavs drop just four total sets.

Defensive specialist Jordan Woods also added nine digs while Hahni Johnson dug up seven Mountaineer attacks.
 
The Mavericks hit .297 as a team throughout the match, which lasted just one hour and 18 minutes, and held the Mountaineers to a .123 clip, including a .076 mark in the second set, which the Mavericks won by 14 points.
 
The Mavs took early control of the first set, building a 12-6 lead on a VanDeList service ace before the Mountaineers rallied with a 6-0 run to tie the set at 12.
 
Shaddix then had back-to-back kills during a matching 6-0 spurt as the Mavs went in front 18-12, eventually winning the set by that same 6-point margin.
 
The second set was also tight in the early going, although the Mavericks had a small 8-7 advantage.  Leffler then triggered what would be a massive 17-4 set-winning run with back-to-back kills as the Mavs hit .417 with 17 kills and just one hitting error as a team in the middle frame.  As they were throughout the match, the Mavericks were balanced in that set as Daugherty recorded five of her kills while Leffler and Spitzer had four apiece.  Shaddix had three in the middle set after putting down six in the opening frame.
 
The Mavs did have to battle in the third set, which was tied on seven separate occasions, including at 21. 
 
However, a Mountaineer service error followed by Spitzer and Shaddix kills provided the necessary momentum of what got the Mavericks over the line with what was a 4-1 match-ending run.
 
The Mavs never trailed in the third set, jumping out to 3-0, 10-7 and 18-15 leads, only to see the hosts tie the score at 21 on the last of Seyun Park's 12 kills. 
 
The Mavs, who have now won 20 consecutive matches over the Mountaineers since 2012, finished the night with a 45-33 advantage in total kills and 56-49 edge in digs. 
 
CMU will continue their road trip on Saturday at 6 p.m. facing Fort Lewis College in Durango.